'Suresh Raina could have been handled a lot better' - Aakash Chopra
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has opined that Suresh Raina could have been managed a lot better, especially when he had staged a comeback to the Indian team.
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra expressed surprise at Suresh Raina's decision to retire from international cricket and highlighted the value the left-handed batsman brought to the team.
The reputed commentator mentioned that the Uttar Pradesh left-hander's decision to quit international cricket was totally unexpected due to multiple reasons, with the primary one being that he was just 33 years old.
"This was actually a bolt from the blue. And there are 2-3 reasons for that. Firstly, Raina is only 33 years old, so he is fairly young."
Aakash Chopra then talked about the recent interaction he had with Suresh Raina, where the latter had expressed his desire to stage a comeback to the Indian team.
"Second thing is that we had done an interview with Suresh Raina recently in which he regularly said that he was looking forward to play for India again. He said that he was doing his best and would be scoring a lot of runs. He said that after his knee surgery he was feeling stronger and hitting the ball well."
The former Delhi opener mentioned that he was delighted to hear that the southpaw wanted to win back his place in the Indian team, considering that there are a couple of T20 World Cups scheduled over the next two years.
"I was very happy because Raina is a special player and there were two T20 World Cups coming in two years, so why not Raina. Thirty-three is no age for a guy as fit as Suresh Raina."
Aakash Chopra also observed that Suresh Raina was frequently posting videos on social media exhibiting the hard yards he was putting in, thereby making the former believe that a comeback was round the corner.
"And then he was posting videos on Instagram etc where he was regularly practicing and putting lot of effort. When you see someone putting so much effort, you feel that it is going to happen."
He added that he was looking forward to the CSK batting lynchpin displaying his wares in the IPL to put pressure on the selectors to pick him for the Indian team.
"In fact, the only thing I was looking forward to was him playing for CSK and scoring a lot of runs and forcing the selectors to pick him."
Aakash Chopra on Suresh Raina's value as a cricketer
Aakash Chopra highlighted that Suresh Raina was the first Indian cricketer to score a century in all three formats of international cricket, with KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma joining him later and Virat Kohli yet to achieve that distinction.
"He was the first Indian cricketer to score a century in Tests, ODIs and T20Is. After that KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma also did that, Virat Kohli has still not done it, T20 century is still pending."
He recalled that the middle-order batsman had struck a century on Test debut although he could not cement his place in the Indian team in the longest version of the game.
"He scored a century on Test debut against Sri Lanka. After that his Test career was up and down but he did not get that many chances."
Aakash Chopra labelled Suresh Raina as one of the best left-handers that the country has produced and one of the best-ever limited-overs batsmen in world cricket, with his exploits in the IPL proving his match-winning abilities.
"If you see the left-handers that India has produced to date, Suresh Raina's name would be right up there. He was one of the finest left-handed batsmen that the country has produced, one of the best white-ball cricketers that the world has ever seen. If you include his IPL figures as well, then you will say a runaway match-winner and absolutely a champion player."
He also regarded Suresh Raina as one of the best all-round fielders in the history of world cricket since he could show his worth anywhere on the cricket field, unlike players like Ravindra Jadeja and Jonty Rhodes who have been slightly uncomfortable in the slip cordon.
"There would be very few fielders you would get of his standard. He would be among the top 5, an all-round fielder. Because there are a lot of fielders who don't catch well in the slips but are good in the outfield like Jaddu. Ravindra Jadeja is a gun fielder but it is slightly difficult in the slips. Even Jonty Rhodes couldn't catch well in the slips. Suresh was one of the best fielders the world has ever seen."
Aakash Chopra also observed that Suresh Raina was an effective bowler who would provide crucial breakthroughs, with his all-round skills making him almost an additional player on the field.
"Raina was also an under-rated bowler, the way he used to bowl with a clean action, putting the ball in one place and picking crucial wickets. It was like playing one extra man."
Aakash Chopra opined that Suresh Raina got a slightly raw deal in ODI cricket, as he did not get an opportunity to bat up the order and also did not have a consistent batting position, despite which he cemented his place in the Indian team.
"I feel what happened with Suresh Raina in ODI cricket, everything was not correct. Because he was not given a proper batting number. He didn't get the No.3 or No.4 position, he was always sent No.5 to No.7."
"Sometimes he was sent up and then demoted. If you shuffle someones batting order so much, then a lot of times you are not able to secure your place. But this player secured his place and won us matches as well."
He also recalled the crucial knock Suresh Raina played in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final against Australia in which his partnership with Yuvraj Singh helped India chase down a stiff target.
"In fact, I remember the 2011 World Cup where he was batting at No.6 or No.7 and was not getting to bat. And then one day it came against Australia in the quarter-finals, where Yuvraj Singh played a match-winning innings but it was required for someone to stand at the other end and score at run-a-ball to take pressure off Yuvraj Singh and that's exactly what he did. We remember that match for Yuvraj Singh but Raina had a very big contribution there."
Aakash Chopra signed off by iterating that Suresh Raina could have been handled better and should have been given a longer run when he had staged a comeback in the Indian team.
"Raina deserved better. I think Raina could have been handled a lot better. Because when he made a comeback also, in one of the three matches he scored 40-50 I think and in one match he remained not out and was dismissed early in the other match. But he did not get a chance after that."
Suresh Raina last played for India in the ODI series against England in July 2018. He got an opportunity to bat in only two of the three ODI matches, scoring 46 and 1 respectively. The left-hander also scored 27 runs in the only match he got to bat in the preceding T20I series but was left out of the Indian team thereafter.